Bloodhound SSC May Break Land Speed Record In Australia

Bloodhound SSC May Break Land Speed Record In Australia

Kenneth Hall
January 27, 2009
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Late last year we saw Britain’s Bloodhound Project announce plans to smash their current land speed record of 763mph (1,227km/h) with their new SSC speedster, which they claim is capable of reaching a top speed of 1,050mph (1,690km/h) under a combination of rocket, jet and piston power. Having already acquired financial backing for the project, the team is now in need of a suitable location to complete their high speed run.

Two locations that are quickly gaining favor are Australia’s Lake Eyre and Lake Gairdner in the state of South Australia. The dry salt lakes are ideal for land speed record attempts, and Lake Eyre was previously used by British speed legend Donald Campbell to break the land speed record in 1964.

Driving the car will be RAF pilot Andy Green, who recently visited Australia to examine the sites. He said the two lakes were both possible as long as they remain dry, reports GoAuto. Another possible area are the dry lake beds located in California’s Death Valley.

Rated at almost 130,000hp (about 97,000kW), the combination drivetrain in the SSC employs a 25,000lb jet engine as its primary source of locomotion. Once at speed the 2.95ft (900mm) wheels will spin at 10,000rpm - requiring some very special tires and finely balanced wheels to keep from tearing the machine apart.

Once the jet engine is reaching its peak output, a liquid-fueled rocket kicks in for extra boost. The rocket’s primary fuel is a synthetic rubber called Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene (HTBP) that is fed to it by a 4.2L petrol-powered V12 engine.

The Bloodhound Project team are aiming to start their attempt for the speed record in 2011.